Hot-spark regulation



Aug. 18, 1925; 1,550,146

- c. P. BROCKWAY HOT SPARK REGULATION Filed Sept. 13, 1920 INVENTOR. Car/ P Brockway A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,550,146 PATENT OFFICE.

CARL P. BROCKWAY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH COR- PORATION, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OE DELAWARE.

HOT-SPARK REGULATION.

Application'filed September 13, 19261). Serial No. 410,021.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that l, CARL P. BRooKwAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hot-Spark Regulations, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an electrical system for furnishing ignition to an internal combustion engine and has for its general object the provision of means whereby a more efficient spark is obtained when the engine is being started so that the cold and poorly vaporized mixture to be had on starting is more easily fired.

Another object is to provide a sparking system whichv furnishes a vibrating spark during the time the engine is ,being started by any means and a single spark during normal running.

Another object is to provide a spark coil which produces a higher voltage for sparking during the starting operation.

Another object is to provide a sparking system which uses the same battery for a starting motor and a spark coil and which has compensating means for the drop in voltage of the battery while the same is furnishing current to the motor.

Another object is to arrange the circuit so that one condenser serves two purposes as hereinafter described.

Another object is to provide a single spark coil which accomplishes theabove mentioned objects.

Another object is to provide automatic means for accomplishing the above mentioned objects.

Another object is to accomplish the above objects by simple arrangement ofparts.

Other objects will appear as I proceed with a detailed description of that particular embodiment of the invention which for the purposes ofillustration I have shown in the drawings, in which Figure I is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuits and connections embodied in one form of this invention.

Figure II is a similar view showing a modification.

In the drawings similar-reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 represents a storage battery which furnishes current both for the starting motor 2 and for the ignition coil 4. The starting motor is indicated only diagrammatically and is of the separate unit type, but of course it may be either of the single unit or separate unit type. When my invention is arranged with a starting system of the single unit type the switch 12 is located in a circuit which has a current flowing therethrough only when the electric unit is being used as a motor. battery 1 flows through the breaker points 3 to the primary winding 4 of the induction coil and thence through the wire 5, ignition switch l, and back to the battery. lUpon breaking the primary circuit by the operation of cam 16 in the manner well known, high voltage is induced in the secondary winding 9 of the induction coil, and is distributed to the proper spark plug 11 by means of the distributor in the usual manner. Only four spark plugs are shown in the drawing but of course, my invention can be applied to multicylinder engines having any number of cylinders.

When the dOulOle point switch 12 closes the circuit through the starting motor, it also closes a circuit from the storage battery 1 through wire 13 and vibrator 14 to the primary winding 4. Now when the breaker points 3 are open, a current will flow through the wire 13, vibrator 14, winding 4, and wire 5 back to the battery, and by the operation of the vibrator 14 a shower of sparks is produced in the plug which is connected by the distributor 10. If, however, the points 3 are closed, no current will flow through wire 13. even though switch 12 1s closed because a current is then flowing through winding 4' from the wire 17, and this current will cause the vibrator armature to remain pulled down against the core of winding 4, thus breaking the circuit through wire 13.

Therefore in-the operation of my device, when the starting switch 12 is in closed position, a shower or series of sparks are produced by the induction c011 whenever the breaker points 3 separate, and cease when points 3 again make contact. WVhen switch 12 is opened the vibrator 14 1s thrown out of circuit, and thereafter a smgle spark is produced by the induction coil whenever breaker points 3 separate, due to the single beraking of the primary circuit. A con- Currentfrom coil.

denser 8 is connected across the breaker points 3 as is customary in the art. This condenser, by my arrangement as shown in Figure I, is also connected across the points of vibrator 14. Thus one condenser serves for both sets of breaker points.

In the modification of Figure .11 the primary winding of the induction coil is divided into two parts, 18 and 19. When the switch 12 is closed and the breaker points 3 are open, the current through wire 13 passes through only the part 18 of the primary winding and thence back to the battery. The vibrator 14: acts in the same manner as in the arrangement shown in Figure. I to cause a shower or series of sparks for the period of time the points 3 are out of contact. When the points 3 are in contact the armature of the vibrator 14 is held down and thus prevents the vibrator from causing sparking during the time in which points 3 are closed. When switch 12 is open, the circuit through the entire primary winding, consisting of windings 18 and 19 in series, is made and broken by breaker points 3, thus producing a single spark for each opening of the points 3.

The advantage in using only the part 18 of the primary winding during the time the starting motor is being used is to compensate for the fall of battery voltage at this time due to the heavy current being taken from it by the motor. The winding 18 should be of sufficiently less resistance than the entire primary winding to enable the reduced battery voltage to cause an increased current through winding 18. The increase in the current in winding 18 should be sufli cient to give at least as many ampere turns as was given by both windings 18 and 19 when the starting motor is not in use. The intensity of the spark is proportional to the magnetic flux through the core of the induction The magnetic flux may be maintained the same, or increased if a more intense spark is desired, when the battery voltage drops due to the starting motor being connected, either by making-winding 18 of wire having less resistance per unit length then winding 19 or by the relative arran ement of the windings 18 and 19 upon t e core, or by a combination of both of these means. In any case, winding 18 is preferably wound next to the core so that 1ts ampere turns will produce the greatest possible magnetic flux within the core.

It is thus seen that by dividing the primary winding into two windings of different size wires, or different arrangement of the coils, we may by means of a single induction coil produce a spark with the lower battery voltage which.,is of equal or greater intensity than the spark produced with the higher battery voltage. In this modification a secorl condenser may be connected immediately across the points of the vibrator 14 to reduce arcing tendency.

While I have illustrated and described my invention in more or less detail and as being embodied in certain forms, I do not desire or intend to be limited thereby, as it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the same is capable of various modifications and applications without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electrical system for an internal combustion engine, an electric starting motor, an electric battery for furnishing current to said motor, an induction coil for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, means in said primary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said motor is not in operation, and means for causing an in creased magnetic flux through said induction coil when said motor is in operation, and means for causing vibrating spark ignition when said motor is in operation.

2. In an electrical system for an internal combustion engine, an electric starting motor, an electric battery for furnishing current to said motor, an induction coil for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, means in said primary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said motor is not in operation, and means for causing an increased magnetic flux through said induction coil when said motor is in operation, and a vibrator arranged to be thrown into said primary circuit for causing vibrating spark ignition when said motor is in operation.

3. In an electrical system for an internal combustion engine, an, electric starting motor, an electric battery for furnishin current to said motor, an induction 0011 for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, said induction coil being arranged to take current from said battery, means in said primary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said motor is not in operation, and means for causing an increased magnetic flux through said induction coil when said motor is in operation.

4. In an electrical system for an internal combustion engine, an electric starting motor, an electric battery for furnishing current to said motor, an induction coil for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, said induction coil being arranged to take current from said battery, means in said primary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said motor is not in operation, and means for causing an increased magnetic flux through said induction coil when said motor is in operation, and means for causing vibrating spark ignition when said motor is in operation.

5. In an electrical system for an internal combustion engine, an electric starting motor, an electric battery for furnishing current to said motor, an induction coil for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, said induction coil being arranged to take current from said battery, means in said primary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said motor is not in operation, and means for causing an increased magnetic flux through said induction coil when said motor is in operation, and a vibrator arranged to be thrown into said primary circuit for causing vibrating spark ignition when said motor is in operation.

6. In a starting system for an internal combustion engine, a starting means for said engine, an induction coil for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, means in said primary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said starting means is not in operation, and means for causing an increased magnetic flux through said induc-.

tion coil when said starting means is in operation, and means for causing vibrating spark ignition when said starting means is in operation.

7. In a starting system for an internal combustion engine, a starting means for said engine, an induction coil for furnishing ignition to said engine and having primary and secondary circuits, means in saidprimary circuit for causing single spark ignition when said starting means is not in operation, and means for causing an increased magnetic fluxvthrough said induction coil when said starting means is in operation, and a vibrator arranged to be thrown into said primary circuit for causing vibrating spark ignition when said starting means is in operation.

8. In a starting system for an internal combustion engine, a starting means for said engine, an induction coil for furnishing ignition for said engine and having primary and secondary windings, said primary winding having one part wound with lower resistance wire than the other part, means for causing the primary current to flow through only the lower resistance winding when said starting means is in operation.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

CARL P. BROCKWAY. 

